7 Gadgets That Will Reduce Your Utility Bills

Utility bills are a mundane part of everyday life – we pay money monthly to keep the lights, the water running and our homes heated and cooled. It might feel like utility bills are inescapable, but the truth is a variety of new technologies are now becoming available that promise to help you save energy and reduce your utility bills in surprisingly futuristic ways.

Here are some of our favorite promising new gadgets and tech tools to help save some cash on your utility bills:

LED Bulbs: LED light bulbs are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs, using only about 25% of the energy and lasting up to 50 times longer. A bonus benefit: the light from LED bulbs tends to look more natural and pleasant than CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs. LED bulbscost about $4 or $5 each (or more) depending on the size of the bulb – so although they’re not as cheap as “regular” light bulbs, the long-term energy savings are worth it.

Smart Thermostats: Many people make the mistake of leaving their thermostats set at the same temperature all day and all night – but if you get a programmable thermostat, you can save up to 15% on your energy bill by adjusting the temperature to save money on heating and cooling during the times you’re away from home. TheNest Learning Thermostat costs $249, which may sound pricey, but it gradually programs itself to keep your home at the temperature you prefer, automatically turning itself down when nobody’s home, and showing an energy usage history. Nest thermostats connect to Wi-Fi and can be controlled via phone, tablet or laptop. Or if you want a cheaper programmable thermostat, check out thisHoneywell programmable thermostat for only $22.77 – it has separate programs for weekdays and weekends.

Motion Sensing Light Switches: These smart light switches ($21.64 each on Amazon) can detect the activity of a room – when someone comes into the room, the light automatically turns on, and when the room is empty, the light turns itself off. Never worry again about the wasted energy costs of leaving the lights on in empty rooms of the house – in fact, each motion-sensing light switch can save youapproximately $10 per year. In about 2 years, the light switch will have paid for itself.

Belkin WeMo Insight Switch: This“smart plug” switch turns your standard wall plugs into app-controlled outlets, communicating via Wi-Fi with your smartphone through a free iOS or Android app. Using your phone, you can then control the lamp or appliance that is plugged into the Belkin outlet, monitor the energy usage, and program the outlet to turn devices on or off at set times of day.

Belkin Conserve Switch: Many people don’t realize it, but our computers, monitors, and other electronic devices still use power just by being plugged in, even if they are “off.” There is a way to save energy on these devices – theBelkin Conserve Switch surge protector. It works just like a regular surge protector, except it has special outlets that allow you to stop power to certain devices (via wireless remote switch), while leaving other devices that need continuous power, such as wireless routers or cordless phones, plugged into its “Always On” outlets.

TED Energy Detective:This device connects to your home or building’s electrical system to collect and analyze data about your energy usage, then the TED Energy Detective’s Footprints software helps you understand where your home is using the most energy. The info provided by the software which helps you know where to make changes and improvements in energy efficiency. The average TED Energy Detective user can reduce their energy bill by 5-30%.

Cyber-Rain XCI Smart Sprinkler System: Do you use sprinklers to water your lawn or garden? If so, you might be losing a significant amount of money with excessive watering. Using theCyber-Rain XCI Smart Sprinkler System, you can adjust your watering based on weather and the needs of your climate zone, saving up to 40% on your water bills.

Utility bills might never fully go away, but many new technologies are opening up new possibilities to reduce your home energy costs and water usage. With a few smart devices, your home could become more energy efficient than you might expect – along with fun new ways to get better visibility into how your home uses energy and how you can reduce your costs while helping the environment. By adopting some of these simple devices today, we can all look forward to a future of cheaper energy bills and a cleaner environment!

Ben Gran is a freelance writer from Des Moines, Iowa. Ben has written for Fortune 500 companies, the Governor of Iowa (who now serves as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture), the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and many corporate clients. He writes about entrepreneurship, technology, finance and other areas of great personal interest.